China
China, Russia to jointly send probe to Mars
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Source: CCTV.com | 03-28-2007 08:20
Special Report: President Hu visits Russia |
China and Russia have inked a deal to explore Mars and its moon, Phobos. The two countries will jointly send a probe to study the planet and its atmosphere.
The exploration will start in 2009.
Russia will launch the explorer, Phobos-Grunt which will carry Chinese-made scientific equipment. Once in orbit, the Chinese satellite will study the atmosphere of the planet to try to find an answer to the mystery of what happened to the planet's water. In addition, it will research the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetic field of Mars.
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Wang Chi, Chinese Academy of sciences, said, "China's focus is on research into the atmosphere of the Mars, this is an important compliment to the international probe. Cooperating with Russia can help us gain technical experience for our future independent research."
